"The War of the Worlds" radio broadcast is considered one of the great media hoaxes of all time.  Delivered over the radio on October 30, 1938, (as part of the station's Halloween week) it caused great distress to those listening.

Please read these few articles to get some background information on this 'radio mockumentary,' and, as always, complete the worksheet.  We do worksheets for main three reasons: 1) to focus our learning 2) to remember main ideas and 3) to work on our comprehension and literacy skills.  

Worksheets are important because they mimic the sight passage on the exam (read a passage then answer questions based on the passage) and the literacy test (reading comprehension).


First, read a news report from day after the broadcast and then answer the questions: 

http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv-movies/daily-news-original-coverage-war-worlds-article-1.305067

Now read the wikipedia entry for "The War of the Worlds" and answer the questions:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_War_of_the_Worlds_(radio_drama)

Next, look up the word verisimilitude.  Write down the word and the definition of the word somewhere on your worksheet.

Last, read this brief bio on Orson Welles the writer and creator of the broadcast (and answer the questions) - he was a pretty talented guy who we will be hearing more of at the end of the semester.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orson_Welles

Once done, and worksheet completed, you can have some free time on the computer or catch up on any incomplete work.  We will listen to the broadcast tomorrow, focusing on techniques used to create our new favourite word, verisimilitude.  Plus, there will be a listening quiz, right after the broadcast  - 10 true/false or multiple choice questions on the content that you just heard.